Water dispensers or water coolers are well known devices that are used as a clean and safe source of drinkable water. Such devices usually comprise a housing including an internal water reservoir operatively connected to an external dispensing faucet. A supporting platform provided with a central opening extends on top of the water reservoir. This platform is devised to receive and support a water bottle in an inverted position, with the neck of the bottle neck projecting downwardly through the central opening into a dispenser insert in liquid communication with the underlying reservoir so as to allow water to flow down by gravity into the reservoir and refill the same as soon as the faucet is operated.
In order to avoid spilling of water during loading onto the dispenser of a water which may usually have a volume of 5-gallons (18 liters), it has been of common practice for a long time to close the neck of the water bottle with a cap having a central recess provided with a flat bottom intended to be pierced by a hollow spike projecting centrally and upwardly within the dispenser insert. With such a hollow spike in which the water may flow down from the water bottle into the water reservoir, it is no more necessary to remove the cap before installation of the bottle, thereby making such installation much easier and cleaner. Examples of caps of this type are disclosed in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,188 (Baker et al) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,236 (Deruntz) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,555 (Luch et al) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,023 (Ulm) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,635 (Ulm) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,270 (Adams et al) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,939 (Hidding) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,530 (Baker et al) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,083 (Burrows) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,188 (Baker et al) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,152 (Burrows) PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,127 (Burrows)
More recently, it has been suggested that, instead of using a perforating spike, use be made of a supply tube having a smooth tip sized and shaped to engage the central recess of the cap and cause the bottom of the same, which is formed as a plug, not only to be pushed, removed or torn out but also to snap onto the tip of the tube and thus be retained by the same.
According to a first variant, the plug is separate from the cap and devised to be slid by the tube within the central recess in order to free openings allowing water to flow down. See, by way of examples, the following patents:
According to a second variant, the plug is devised to be removed from the central recess and the smooth tip of the tube is provided with a circular recess on which the plug may snap as soon as it leaves the recess. See, by way of examples, the inventions disclosed in the following patents:
According to a third variant, the plug forms an integral part of the central recess. In use, it is torn out from the recess by the pressure applied by the tube, once the bottle is positioned on it. To facilitate such tearing, a circular frangible line is provided on the periphery of the bottom of the recess. An inwardly projecting bead is also provided on the plug to caused the same snap in a corresponding groove provided on the tip of the tube. See, by way of example, the invention disclosed in the following patents:
As it can be understood, snapping of the plug onto the supply tube is interesting in that it prevents the plug from floating at the surface of the water bottle and thus be visible to by potential users, as the bottles are usually-made from transparent plastic material.
As aforesaid, the water dispensers that are presently used, are of two kinds, each associated with a type of cap. The problem is that water dispensers provided with a spike cannot be used efficiently with water bottles having a cap with a plug. Similarly, water dispensers having a supply tube with a smooth tip cannot be used efficiently with bottles having a cap with a central recess whose flat bottom is intended to be pierced. Therefore, even if the prior art devices are useful in some ways, there is a need of a cap for closing a water dispenser bottle or container, which would be easy to manufacture and versatile enough to be used on any one of the above mentioned kinds of water dispensers.